Cindy Henchell
A few years ago my husband, Fred was passing the Lone Pine Cemetery when he noticed a couple looking at the grave marker for James Hinnell. Fred stopped to talk to them and learned that they were originally from England but had since moved to British Columbia. Robin and Sally Hinnell were researching his family history. His research led him to High Prairie where he hoped to learn more about this place that attracted his ancestor, Jame Hinnell, in the 1800s.
It happens that the original homestead belonging to James Hinnell was located on properties now owned by Doug Taylor and Lorna Dove. After meeting Doug and Lorna and exploring the site of his ancestors’ homes and the surrounding area, James felt he could publish his family history.
Several months went by when we were notified by Robin that he wanted to send Doug, Lorna and us a copy of the finished publication. It is a very well-written, very readable history that traces the life of James HInnell and his family and neighbors on the Prairie.
We recognized it as a wonderful resource for anyone interested in the history of the settlement of High Prairie and asked if we could make it available as a downloadable PDF to the community. Robin generously agreed to this.
It is now posted on the High Prairie website at www.highprairie.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/JAMES-HINNELL-STORY-pdf-final-version-2022-Jun.pdf. Just be aware that it is a large file so it may take some time to completely download, but it’s worth the wait.